Paying For Therapies: Cash, Government, Insurance

Earlier in the month a friend had a discussion going about government mandated insurance.  She eventually asked me my thoughts.  Here are the questions followed by my response.

So do you agree with your state's law mandating autism coverage? And for families without private insurance, do you think the state (federal, state or local government) should assist families who can't shell out tens of thousands of dollars for their children's autism treatments? I have to imagine that you have mixed feelings about these questions given your political beliefs.

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Sheryl Johnson You're right. I have very mixed feelings. If I die tomorrow, would my kids be able to live independently? Maybe. We are thousands of dollars in debt. We have not let $$ be the reason to not do something for our boys. However, we haven't thrown $$ into every new idea/fad out there. Parents of special needs kids are desperate to find a cure, solution, therapy, anything to move the kids forward.

My kids have private insurance as well as state coverage. The state coverage is minimal, and it can be revoked at any time. That has happened too. Can't rely on it. When a service has been cut, we've paid cash to continue the therapy if it has been successful. The school and state have provided therapies, such as speech and hab, and they have helped my boys tremendously. 

The flip side is having to follow the regulations set by the school and/or state. Children, well, people don't fit into nice rows and columns, ie rules and standards. Special needs children fit even less. Everything needs to be individualized. My kids are a great example of this. Three have autism. The standards cannot be applied equally to them, because the autism symptoms are different in each one. Due to govt regulations, though, the same set of applications has to be administered to each kid--whether or not it is working--which can be a waste of time, hence money. It frustrates the therapist and child.

Then there are meds. Typical medical protocol is to medicate my kids--especially when they were younger. The meds just doped them up. After 2 years, we took them off. I did a ton of research (and I still do). Alternative therapies have proven much more successful. Insurance doesn't cover these. Doctors don't necessarily agree with me, or each other in this realm. As MOM, I have the responsibility to do what is best for my kids. So I am self-employed to stay at home. (husband works full time) We pay cash for what my kids need. If you have known my kids for the last 10-14 years, you can see the progress.

So here's the catch 22 syndrome... yes govt funded services help financially and therapeutically to a point. If my kids were stuck with govt restriction and typical medical protocol over the years, they would not have made any progress and most likely would be on some sort of govt program permanently. Yes, having freedom to research, choose, and pay privately has allowed our kids to thrive and prosper. More than likely, they will not need govt support as they move out of the house.

Tis typical for a family to pay $15,000 annually for a child with autism,. I have 3 kids. Do the math.  Here are the results.  One has totally recovered--no services from school or state. The other 2 have minimal assistance from the state, and one of those has some help from school--the other is moving on to college. We are slowly paying off our debt. Our children are thriving. It is a sacrifice, but that is what parents do. I can also go on and make comparisons of some govt services vs private services... but I think this is long enough. And this is just a touch of what I could write.